Causes Of Infertility

The Surprising Cause Of Infertility

Smoking and drinking (in excess) might be bad for your health, but it’s not bad for your boys. A new study from the United Kingdom examined the different factors that affect sperm count. While tobacco and alcohol weren’t factors (phew), other more trivial things could actually have a serious impact on your swimmers.

The study looked at 2,200 males from 14 different fertility clinics. The men filled out questionnaires about their lifestyles, and then it was cross-referenced with the quantity of sperm when they ejaculated.

Turns out, men with low levels of sperm were 2.5 times more likely to have had some kind of previous testicular surgery. Also, they were 30% more likely to have manual labor jobs or wear boxer shorts (compared to briefs or nothing at all). Those who had not previously produced a child were also in the lower categories.

There have been some misconceptions when it comes to infertility. I wouldn’t take this as advice to start up some bad habits, but evidently smoking, drinking and wearing tight underwear aren’t negatively impacting your count as previously thought.